According to Revelation 20:10, the deceiver and slanderer was taken and cast into the lake of fire, burning with brimstone, thus, receiving the same fate as the beast and the false prophet (Revelation 19:20). In order to understand the terms used in the Apocalypse, we need to keep in mind where all the events of the Apocalypse take place. The book opened with Jesus standing in the Holy Place of the Temple among the lampstands, which we found out later were the churches of Christ in Asia. In chapter four John was taken **up** to heaven (Revelation 4:1), which turned out to be the Most Holy Place. So, in effect, John merely entered the next room; that is, he walked from the Holy Place into the Most Holy Place.
Later in the Apocalypse, John was told to measure the Temple (Revelation 11:1), but the outer court was given over to the gentiles (which included all unbelievers, including unbelieving Jews). In other words, John was to measure only the House, itself—the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. The outer court, which included the Altar of Sacrifice and the Laver of Brass (filled with water for washing everything used in the Temple), wasn’t measured at all (Revelation 11:2)!
An interesting point that may relate to the context of terms used in the Apocalypse occurs in the Gospel narratives, concerning the Sea of Galilee. John says the Sea of Galilee is also called the Sea of Tiberius (John 6:1). Luke never calls it the Sea (thalassa, G2281) of Galilee, but does refer to it as the “Lake (lemne; G3041) of Gennesaret” (Luke 5:1). This same Greek word, lemne (G3041), is used wherever the term lake of fire is mentioned in the Apocalypse. My point in bringing this up is: if the Gospel writers use “lake” (lemne; G3041) and “sea” (thalassa, G2281) to refer to the same body of water in Galilee, then perhaps the lake of fire in Revelation 19 and 20 is the same as the sea of glass, which is mingled with fire in Revelation 15:2. There the victorious saints are able to walk upon this sea, just as the Lord walked on the Sea of Galilee (Mark 6:47-49). This sea of glass is before the throne of God (Revelation 4:6; viz. the Laver of Brass – Exodus 38:8), and has been seen by other writers of Scripture (Exodus 24:10; Ezekiel 1:22-28). They also agree that it is a Sea of Fire. So, the sea of glass, which is mingled with fire (Revelation 15:2), is probably the same as the lake of fire in Revelation 20:10, which also seems to be before the throne of God (viz. the white throne in Revelation 20:11 and the lake of fire in verses 14-15)!
Let’s consider what we know thus far. All these things in the Apocalypse not only take place in the presence of God, but they take place in the Temple of God. Everything that offends (viz. the beast, the false prophet, the dragon etc.) are cast into the lake of fire, which is before the throne of God! If Heaven (the Most Holy Place) is the throne of God and Earth, the outer court where the Altar of Sacrifice and the Laver of Brass is (viz. the Sea of Glass / lake of fire) is his footstool (Matthew 5:34-35; Acts 7:49; cp. Ezekiel 1:15-28), how could evil exist before him (Habakkuk 1:12-13) forever, especially if there is no more death? If there was no more death, and the lake of fire was the final place of the wicked, unimaginable suffering would exist in God’s Presence forever. How should we understand this?
Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil (1John 3:8). It would seem to me that these who fall into the hand of Almighty God (Hebrews 10:31) do have their works destroyed. Nevertheless, since David would rather be punished by falling into the hand of God than falling into the hand of man (2Samuel 24:14), ultimately there would be mercy with the Lord (Micah 7:18-19). Notice in Micah it says that God subdues our iniquities and casts them into the depths of the sea. What sea is this but the sea that is before his throne (Revelation 4:6, 15:2)? If this is so, shouldn’t this sea and the lake of fire / the Sea of Glass be the same place (Luke 19:27; Leviticus 9:24; Daniel 7:10; cp. Revelation 8:1-5, 14:10)? I believe this is a terrible and fearful place to which the wicked go after death, but ultimately iniquity is separated from those wicked people, and God is merciful even to them, for as Micah says God is not angry forever (Micah 7:18-19).[1]
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[1] I will elaborate more upon this idea later in this chapter, and again when we come to the next chapter of the Apocalypse.
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